The Falcons are close to ending the uncertainty at quarterback, and the calendar already points to when the answer should arrive.
Atlanta has spent the past week sorting through a few roster questions, but the biggest one still hanging over the team is the same one fans have been watching closely: who starts next weekend, Michael Penix Jr. or Tua Tagovailoa?
Tagovailoa was supposed to have the inside track, but his preseason has not helped his case. Blogging Dirty’s Jason Kandel said his outing was better than his first preseason appearance, but still not enough to lock down the job.
“And while the performance was an improvement over his brutal debut in the first week of the preseason, it still wasn't his best body of work. Tagovailoa badly needed a big performance to prove to this coaching staff that he's worthy of being the starter over Michael Penix Jr., which didn't happen.
Instead of taking a step in the right direction as a starting QB decision looms, the 28-year-old's return to Hard Rock Stadium rehashed some old issues and confirmed the Tua Tagovailoa we saw in Miami is nothing but a distant memory--especially since he can't seem to shake some ongoing red flags,” Kandel wrote.
The other piece of the puzzle is Penix, and Atlanta is waiting to see how he comes through this week. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said, “The Falcons wanna take a look this week at Michael Penix and see how he responds,”
That evaluation appears to be the key to the decision. If Penix is healthy, the sense right now is that he has the edge.
Atlanta also gave away its timeline without saying the words directly. The Falcons released their media schedule for next week, and the starting quarterback is set to speak on Wednesday. That strongly suggests the team will have its QB1 decision in place by then.
The Falcons media schedule says the starting quarterback will speak on Wednesday so I'm guessing we'll have an answer by then. pic.twitter.com/p59xy28Gsi
- Dan Why-Ner (@ReallyDanWeiner) September 4, 2026
For now, Atlanta has stayed mostly silent and avoided tipping its hand. That’s made this situation stand out even more, since most teams already know who their starter is heading into the season.
The hope was that Tagovailoa would seize the job while Penix recovered, but that hasn’t happened. With Wednesday getting closer, the Falcons are nearly at the point where they have to choose who will run the offense to open the season.
In Other News...
Falcons Defense Is Taking On A New Identity Up Front
The Falcons have spent this stretch of roster building making their defensive intentions pretty clear, and it starts with the front. General manager Ian Cunningham has described a philosophy built around bigger, stronger, more physical players, and Atlanta has backed it up by adding defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. and claiming edge rusher Jared Ivey off waivers as part of a broader effort to reshape the line.
Those moves fit with a larger pattern that also includes a trade for Masson Smith, the drafting of Ethan Onianwa and a waiver claim on Cameron Williams, all with the same goal in mind: more size and more depth up front. The interesting part now is not just the accumulation of bodies, but how quickly this new identity can take hold once the Falcons get on the field and ask those additions to translate philosophy into pressure, leverage and control at the line of scrimmage. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Just Passed On A Veteran Edge Option They May Need
Azeez Ojularis brief run in Atlanta ended before it ever really got started, with the veteran edge rusher failing to make the Falcons 53-man roster or their practice squad after signing with the team in March. Ojulari, who has put together 22 sacks and 113 tackles across five NFL seasons, quickly found a new landing spot by joining the Raiders practice squad.
For a Falcons defense still sorting through its depth on the edge, the decision stands out because the team clearly continued to stock up elsewhere, adding several players to bring its practice squad to 16. Atlanta has options to evaluate, but passing on a player with Ojularis experience leaves a familiar question hanging over the roster: whether the pass rush is complete enough as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Still Have One Unsettling QB Question Before Week 1
The Falcons are heading into the final stretch of camp with the most important question on the roster still unresolved: who opens Week 1 at quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. are competing for the job, and the decision appears tied to Penixs readiness more than anything else. Along the way, head coach Kevin Stefanski has publicly praised Penixs progress, but he has stopped short of naming a starter, leaving the team in a holding pattern as the opener draws closer.
Ian Rapoports read on the situation added another layer of uncertainty, suggesting Tagovailoa could get the first crack if Penix is not ready, though possibly with a short leash. A decision could come soon, but there is no guarantee it will, which is not exactly the kind of clarity a team wants with Week 1 approaching. For Atlanta, the bigger concern now is less about who wins the job than how much patience the staff will have if the first answer does not settle the issue for long. [Read more 🡒]